Searching for answers: 4 years since Hampton man goes missing

As four years pass since a Hampton man first went missing, police are continuing to follow leads and search for answers in the case of Ethan Kazmerzak.

Kazmerzak was first reported missing in 2013. It's now been four years since anyone has heard from or seen Ethan Kazmerzak. Since then, both the Hampton Police department along with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office have been following any new tips.

The case is still at the top of the list for the Hampton police department. Kazmerzak's missing poster still hangs on the department's door as a reminder to bring in new leads. However, Hampton police chief Robert Schaefer says the tips have mostly come short.

"It seems like they never lead anywhere," said Schaefer. "Someone thinks that they may have seen him. It happens to be somebody that looks like him, but it's not him."

Kazmerzak, the then 22-year-old was last seen in rural Hampton. Police say the last place Kazmerzak was seen was in the early morning hours of Sept. 15, 2013, at a party northwest of Hampton.

"You know you just don't think that anybody can disappear off the face of the earth," said Schaefer.

Chief Schaefer says both Kazmerzak and his car, a 2006 silver Volkswagen Jetta, went missing, which made it hard to follow his tracks.

Authorities carried a search that stretched for days, combing through rural areas of Franklin county on the ground, in air and in water. Schaefer says with no sign of Kazmerzak, the search turned cold.

"The biggest thing is there's no evidence that leads us to believe that criminal activity was involved, but there's always that chance that could happen," said Schaefer. "If anybody has any information about Ethan's disappearance, that they would come forward."

Authorities say they're hoping to bring answers to a family and a community that's been left wondering.

"I don't think anybody could even imagine what it's like not to have closure, as far as having a child that has just disappeared and you don't know what happened or anything like that," said Schaefer.

Authorities are still offering a $100,000 reward for information in the case.The reward, pooled by a group of anonymous donors, is being offered for "any relevant and useful information that leads to the current location and/or safe return of Ethan Kazmerzak."

Schaefer says a $10,000 reward will be given to anyone who discovers Kazmerzak's whereabouts accidentally.

Kazmerzak has dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and wears glasses. He is 5'5" and weighs 180 lbs. Kazmerzak has a Grateful Dead tattoo on his left upper arm.

If you have any information about Kazmerzak, call North Iowa Crime Stoppers at 800-383-0088 or the Hampton Police Department at 641-456-2529.

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